Lebanon is bordered by Syria and Israel, and is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean basin and the Arabian heartland. It had a rich identity of peaceful religious and ethnic diversity. Recently the army carried out a series of raids after two IS suicide bombs killed 44 people in crowded commercial and residential areas of Beirut. Then, on Saturday a suspected IS terrorist killed himself, his wife and mother when he blew himself up during an army raid on his home near Tripoli. At least ten other people were wounded in the blast, including four security personnel. Security forces carried out further raids in the same town after the incident, and arrested several Lebanese and Syrian nationals. Last week a Lebanese court charged 26 people with belonging to IS. 23 of them were directly linked to a Beirut bombing in November which targeted a Shi'ite Muslim suburb.

Military dictatorship and the failed Falklands / Malvinas war, followed by economic disaster, have led Argentina into spiritual hunger and receptivity to the gospel of Christ. Operation World states that evangelical numbers, under one million in 1980, reached 3.7 million by 2010. But spiritual openness is also seeing many drawn into Umbanda occultism from Brazil as well as some churches with questionable teachings. As Mauricio Macri takes over as president of Argentina, pray that he will be able to harness its vast natural resources to revive an economy that has for decades fallen short of its potential. Pray also for investments to stream into the country, bringing with it Christians to reach out to the highly-educated workforce. See also https://missions-history.wikispaces.com/Argentina

Christians constitute 8% of Vietnam's population. On Sunday Nguyen Van Dai, a Christian lawyer, was beaten after leaving a human rights conference that sought to educate citizens about their rights of freedom of religion or belief. The police had requested that the conference be cancelled, but it went ahead without incident. Then Mr Nguyen and his friends travelled to the capital of Nghi Loc District where they were met by 20 plain-clothes police, who beat their shoulders and thighs with wooden sticks. Mr Nguyen was pulled onto a motorcycle and driven to a different province where the beatings continued. His documents, phone, camera, wallet, jacket and shoes were confiscated, and he was pushed into the cold sea. He was finally able to borrow a phone and call for help. Pray for Mr Nguyen. Pray for Vietnamese - particularly those with traditions of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism - to hear the gospel of Christ.

Since the outbreak of the first uprising in Egypt almost five years ago, two presidential elections, three referendums over constitutions, and two parliamentary elections have been held. However, queuing at polling stations has not yet led to change. Recent elections experienced both violence and apathy. Egypt's branch of IS bombed a hotel in North Sinai where seven judges overseeing the parliamentary elections were staying. Polling was light (28%), with many Egyptians indicating distrust and a feeling of apathy over the political process. It is probable the liberal Free Egyptians party has won a majority of seats, with the Islamist Al-Nour party coming second. The world waits to see how President El-Sisi and this new legislature will fulfil his pledge to set Egypt on a ‘roadmap to democracy.’